Press Releases
Chair DeFazio, Rep. Malinowski Slam PHMSA for Granting Special Permit to Move LNG by Rail, Posing Unknown Risks to Communities
December 06, 2019Washington, DC - Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Congressman Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) responded to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's (PHMSA) announcement that, despite repeated objections from Members of Congress, safety and environmental groups, it has granted a Special Permit to a little-known company to transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail tank car from Wyalusing, PA to Gibbstown, NJ for … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio, Titus Announce Subcommittee Roundtable on DRRA Implementation
December 06, 2019Washington, DC- Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Dina Titus (D-NV) announced the Subcommittee will hold a roundtable discussion with emergency management community stakeholders to discuss the implementation of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA). More information about the hearing, including participant list, additional background … Continue Reading
Chair DeFazio Urges Action to Address Sexual Assault and Harassment After Uber Discloses Thousands of Reported Incidents in 2018
December 06, 2019Washington, D.C. - Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) released the following statement after Uber released its first-ever safety report, which detailed 3,000 reports of sexual assaults on U.S. rides in 2018 alone. Chair DeFazio has been pressing Uber, as well as its ridesharing competitor Lyft, to cooperate with the Committee to answer critical safety, labor, and regulatory questions. "I'm glad Uber finally agreed to release this … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio, Norton, Lipinski Statements from Hearing on Freight Transportation
December 05, 2019Washington, D.C. - The following are opening remarks, from Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chair of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) during today's joint hearing titled "Where's My Stuff? Examining the Economic, Environmental, and Societal Impacts of Freight Transportation." Chair DeFazio: … Continue Reading
Chair DeFazio Announces Hearing on FAA Oversight of the Boeing 737 MAX Certification
December 02, 2019Washington, DC- Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) announced the Committee will hold a hearing titled "The Boeing 737 MAX: Examining the Federal Aviation Administration's Oversight of the Aircraft's Certification." More information about the hearing, including witnesses, testimony, additional background information, and live webcast, can be found here once available. HEARING DETAILS "The Boeing 737 MAX: Examining the Federal … Continue Reading
Key Committee Lawmakers Question How DHS Granted Relief to Shipbuilder
November 26, 2019Washington, D.C. -Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Full Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO), Chair of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), and Subcommittee Ranking Member Bob Gibbs (R-OH) sent a letter to Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Chad Wolf expressing concern over DHS' proposal to give Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) extraordinary relief … Continue Reading
As the FAA Works to Finalize New Rule to Streamline Commercial Space Transportation Regulations, Committee Leaders Urge the Agency to Maintain Airspace Safety, and Efficiency, and Aerospace Leadership
November 22, 2019Washington, DC- Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO), Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-WA), and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Aviation Garret Graves (R-LA) sent a letter to the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Stephen Dickson regarding the FAA's ongoing rulemaking to streamline current regulations to further … Continue Reading
Chair DeFazio Rails Against FCC Plans to Sell Off Spectrum to Commercial Interests at Expense of Transportation Safety
November 22, 2019Washington, D.C. - Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) sent a letter to the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Ajit Pai to express serious concern over the FCC's plans to sell off part of the 3.7-4.2 GHZ spectrum band and open the 5.9 GHz spectrum band to commercial and private interests. These decisions were made despite the objections of the aviation community, safety advocates, the U.S. Department of Transportation, … Continue Reading
Chair DeFazio Questions Army Corps Review of Pebble Mine Permit, Urges Corps to Revisit Environmental Impact Statement
November 21, 2019Washington, D.C. -Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) sent a letter to Lieutenant General Todd T. Semonite of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), expressing his concerns with the Corps' review of the Clean Water Act Permit for the development of an open pit mine to be constructed in the Bristol Bay watershed, Alaska. "Based on my review of the process undertaken by the Corps, thus far, as well as the testimony received before a hearing … Continue Reading
Citing Recent Incidents, Chair DeFazio Calls for Audit of FAA’s Ability to Oversee Aircraft Repair Stations Across the U.S.
November 20, 2019Washington, DC- Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) called on the U.S. Department of Transportation's Inspector General to audit the effectiveness of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) oversight of aeronautical repair stations. Air carriers are increasingly outsourcing maintenance work to the estimated 4,000 repair stations across the U.S., but with just over 700 FAA inspectors with dedicated responsibility for overseeing those … Continue Reading
Committee Approves Slate of Legislation to Reauthorize Pipeline Safety Programs, Create Transparency in GSA Leases, Prevent Sexual Assault and Harassment in Transportation, and Strengthen FAA Oversight of Foreign Repair Stations
November 20, 2019Washington, DC - Today, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure approved a slate of measures including the SAFER Pipelines Act, the GSA Lease Transparency Act, the Stop Sexual Assault and Harassment in Transportation Act, and the Safe Aircraft Maintenance Standards Act. "The legislation passed through Committee today represents the kind of critical work to improve safety and improve transparency that T&I is known for getting done," said Transportation and Infrastructure … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio, Napolitano Statements from Hearing on Promoting Resiliency Through WRDA 2020
November 19, 2019Washington, D.C. - The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA) during today's hearing titled: "Concepts for the Next Water Resources Development Act: Promoting Resiliency of our Nation's Water Resources Infrastructure." Chair DeFazio: Today's hearing deals with the resiliency of our water … Continue Reading
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to hold Markup
November 19, 2019Washington, DC- The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a Full Committee markup this Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at 10:00 am in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building to consider the following measures: H.R.5120, SAFER Pipelines Act of 2019; H.R. 5047, GSA Lease Transparency Act of 2019; H.R. 5139, Stop Sexual Assault and Harassment in Transportation Act; H.R. 5119, Safe Aircraft Maintenance Standards Act; and Approval of an updated Committee roster due to changes on the … Continue Reading
Chair DeFazio Introduces Legislation to Address Sexual Assault and Harassment in Passenger Transportation
November 18, 2019Washington, DC- Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) introduced H.R. 5139 the "Stop Sexual Assault and Harassment in Transportation Act," legislation to help track and prevent sexual assault and harassment from occurring in different modes of transportation. This legislation aims to address incidents of sexual assault and harassment in multiple modes of transportation by requiring certain transportation carriers, including passenger … Continue Reading
Chair DeFazio and Ranking Member Graves Applaud Possible Path Forward on Repealing Rescission
November 18, 2019Washington, DC - Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) released the following statements after House lawmakers included a provision that would prevent a $7.6 billion cut to Federal highway funding, known as a rescission, in a stopgap spending bill. The House is expected to take up the bill tomorrow. "Transportation agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are counting on Congress to … Continue Reading
Top House Democrats Urge GAO to Conduct Review After Third Major Keystone Pipeline Spill
November 18, 2019Washington, DC - Today, Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Dan Lipinski (D-IL), and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) officially requested the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct a review of the operator of the Keystone Pipeline System as … Continue Reading
Chair DeFazio Statement on GSA’s Failure to Meet Deadline to Fully Comply with Subpoena for Records Related to Trump’s DC Hotel
November 18, 2019Washington, DC - Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) issued the following statement after the General Services Administration (GSA) failed to fully comply with a subpoena regarding the federal lease with the Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C.: "It's highly disappointing, and frankly quite outrageous, that the Congressional committee tasked with conducting oversight of GSA would even have to issue a subpoena for records … Continue Reading
Top House Democrats Urge GAO to Conduct Review After Third Major Keystone Pipeline Spill
November 18, 2019Washington, DC - Today, Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Dan Lipinski (D-IL), and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) officially requested the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct a review of the operator of the Keystone Pipeline System as … Continue Reading
Following Recent Hearing on the Boeing 737 MAX, Chair DeFazio Presses Boeing CEO for Additional Information About Decisions on MCAS, Grounding the Aircraft, CEO Pay, Boeing’s Legal Strategy and More
November 15, 2019Washington, DC- Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) has sent a series of follow-up questions to Boeing President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg, who testified before the Committee on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, about the decisions that were made before, during, and after the rollout of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The 737 MAX, which went into commercial service two years ago, was involved in two separate crashes within five months of each other in … Continue Reading
Committee Chairs DeFazio and Pallone Unveil Major Pipeline Bill That Will Help Combat Climate Change, Improve Public Safety, and Hold Operators Accountable for Egregious Violations
November 15, 2019Washington, DC - Today, Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) introduced the "Safe, Accountable, Fair, and Environmentally Responsible (SAFER) Pipelines Act of 2019." This comprehensive pipeline safety legislation takes numerous steps to improve pipeline safety and address climate change by reducing emissions, preventing pipeline leaks, and holding pipeline … Continue Reading